


A Different Story

by Winters_stars21



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, One Shot, Please Don't Kill Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-21 09:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11354376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winters_stars21/pseuds/Winters_stars21
Summary: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Water Tribe attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.A hundred years passed and my sister and I discovered the new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang.





	A Different Story

Zuko kicked a rock as he followed his sister. 

Their uncle, Uncle Iroh, had sent them to find a list of ingredients to make a tea of some kind.

Zuko couldn't care less.

Azula walked confidentiality to a bush of dull blue leaves and picked one of the light pink flowers off of it. She smiled at Zuko and waved the flower in front of his scarred face. "One more ingredient to go Zuzu. I bet you can't find it before I can." She challenged him. 

The would-be Fire Prince grinned. "Well, let's find out!" He might not enjoy finding tea ingredients, but he would never pass up a chance to beat his sister at anything. 

Even as petty as this. 

The young Firebenders took off running in different directions. Zuko could hear Azula's laugh as he ran. 

The teenager scanned each and every plant as he zoomed pass them.

_So far no sign of it..._

He stopped suddenly, waving his arms as he tried to balance himself. He nearly had run off of a cliff! Not being able to regain balance, he fell upon his behind with an " _Oof!"_

He quickly got back on his feet and looked down. 

_That definitely would have hurt._

The cliff was a drop-off, after many feet of rock, there was a lake at the bottom. The water lapt at the beach with each small wave. 

Zuko shook his head. _No, I need to get back to finding that last ingredient before Azula does. Where could it be?_

The teenager scanned the tree line until he saw it. The flower, unfortunately, was not very close to the tree line. In fact, the flower was on sitting, rooted onto a slim branch right above the lake. 

The would-be Fire Prince let out a groan. 

_Great, now I have to climb out there and get it_. 

Zuko looked from the branch to the lake and sighed. He approached the slim branch and gently pressed his foot on it, testing it. He took a small careful step on the brach and it held his weight. He took another step, farther out, and it still held. 

He let himself smile. 

That is, until the brack cracked and he was hurtled to the lake. 

He let out a scream as he fell and splashed into the water. 

It was really cold. 

Zuko opened his eyes under the water and was surprised at how much he could see. The lake was _much_ deeper than he had originally thought. And in the middle of it, floating and glowing a sort of blue, sat a... _iceberg?_

The teenager felt himself grow short on air and headed to the surface. He let out a gasp once his head broke through and took deep breaths. 

"Zuzu, looks like I win! And...you're taking a swim?" Azula stood on the beach holding a golden flower in her palm as she gave him a puzzled look. 

The would-be Fire Prince climbed out of the water and nearly ran toward his sister. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What happened to you?" She asked. 

Zuko shook his head. "Ask again later. But, I saw something in the lake! It kind of looked like an iceberg." Azula burst out laughing. "An iceberg, in a lake, in the middle of the Fire Nation! I've never heard of anything so ridiculous!" 

Zuko clenched his fist. "Well, if you don't believe me, come see for yourself." He jumped right back into the water, this time taking his shirt off. Azula rolled her eyes, but jumped in as well. She came to the surface shivering, her teeth chattering.

He laughed at her. "I remember a while back you said you could take anything the spirits threw at you. But, it looks like you might be wrong." Azula glared at him and started to splash him with water. The would-be prince ducked and his sister had no choice but to follow him if she wanted revenge. 

The Iceberg was still floating in the middle of the lake with its soft blue glow. 

Zuko turned around to see how his sister was reacting to it. 

Azula was watching it with rapt attention. Their eyes met and they nodded, swimming back to the surface. 

As soon as they broke through the water, Azula started to speak. "I think we should bring it up. I want to get a closer look at it." Zuko nodded in agreement. They both took a deep breath and swam back down. 

Azula swam around it trying to find a weakness. Zuko neared the iceberg and stared into it, _I thought I saw something..._  

Two eyes opened and glared at him. 

Zuko let his breath escape him in surprise and motioned for Azula to come with him back to the surface. 

They broke through again. Zuko key out a gasp, "Did you see that? Someone's in there!" Azula nodded. "Yes, but who? And why?" She questioned. 

Suddenly, the water in the lake started to splash around. Under the surface the iceberg began to glow even brighter. Zuko and Azula both turned away as it began to go upwards. It broke the surface and the glowing stopped. 

Zuko looked back to it. He could definitely see a human shape in there, along with something big above the person.  

The would-be Fire Prince ran back to the beach and started to pat down his shirt. _Aha!_ He pulled out the knife from his pocket and swam back to the iceberg. As he reached it, he realized the human in there was kind of small and...looked like a kid. 

Zuko took a deal breath and pulled back his arm, still holding the knife, he started to stab the iceberg. 

His instincts were right, the iceberg began to glow again. 

Not only that, large waves started to roll, a beam of light seemed to shoot out of the iceberg into the sky. 

The ice cracked.

Zuko was still in the water as it all happened. Azula had swam back to the beach, watching it.

And just as suddenly it happened, it stopped.

The iceberg was gone, leaving a six-legged beast and a...boy.

Neither were moving. 

Zuko swam back to the boy and sort of carried him back to the beach. Azula stood, observing them both. Zuko set the boy down carefully and tried to remember if his uncle had said anything that might come in handy in this sort of situation. 

Fortunately, the boy started coughing. 

Zuko let out a sigh of relief. He did _not_ want to give mouth-to-mouth. 

The boy sat up and opened his eyes, looking around. He smiled when he saw the siblings. "Hey! Thanks for helping me! I was kind of worried there, but you saved me!" He declared. 

Zuko and Azula exchanged looks. 

The boy continued talking. "Anyway, am I in the Fire Nation? I came here looking around for Koala Sheep when I was caught up in that storm." He said. The boy was was bald, with a tattoo on his head and on his hands, he wore orange robes and held a stick in his hand.

He held out his hand. "My name is Aang. Who're you?" He asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

The siblings cautiously shook Aang's hand. "My name's Zuko" He said. His sister also introduced herself. "I'm Princess Azula." Zuko rolled his eyes as she gave her title. _The throne and title don't even exist anymore, yet she still introduces herself as a princess._

Aang smiled at both of them. "Cool!" He started to run off, looking at the trees and under the rocks. Azula raised an eyebrow, "What're you doing?" She asked. Aang smiled at her again. "Looking for Koala Sheep of course!" 

Azula rolled her eyes. "Koala Sheep are no where  _near_ here," She said. "And Zuko and I need to be heading back to our village, so goodbye." She started to walk in the direction of their home. 

Zuko hesitated. "Aang?" He asked. "Do you have anywhere to stay for the night?" 

The kid shook his head. 

Zuko sighed. "You can come with us again. My Uncle won't mind it, he's good with people." The would-be prince said.

Aang smiled. "Thanks Zuko! First, I need to wake up Appa then we can start heading towards your village!" Zuko nodded and grabbed his shirt to put it on.The kid walked over to the giant six-legged beast and climbed on top of it. "Time to wake up, Sleepy Head!" The creature let out a huff and nearly knocked Zuko on his behind. "C'mon Appa! We need to get moving! Yip Yip!" He said. 

The creature began to float. 

Zuko stared at it in awe and terror. "What is that thing?!" He yelled to Aang.

The boy smiled down happily. "This is Appa, my Air Bison!" He yelled down. Zuko furrowed his brow, _Air Bison? I thought those things have been extinct...for a hundred years..._ He shook his head. 

Aang and the Air Bison landed. "Sorry," He apologized. "I forgot to ask if you wanted a lift back to your village." 

Zuko stared at him. "Seriously? Uh...sure. This thing won't kill me, right?" Aang shook his head. Still not completely certain, Zuko climbed aboard the Air Bison.

Aang shouted, "Yip yip!" And the Bison took off into the air. 

Zuko gripped the sides of the basket/saddle thing he and Aang were in as he shut his eyes. Aang yelled to the teenager over the wind. "There's Azula! Let's pick her up!" Zuko let out a scream as his stomach dropped and they dived towards his sister. 

They landed on the ground where Azula waited calmly. 

Aang smiled at her. "Hey! I can give you too a ride back to your village." She gave him a small smile and stepped on, settling in the back next to her brother. Zuko wrinkled his nose at her and she gave him a grin. 

Appa took off flying again. Zuko was prepared for it this time though, but Azula was not. 

Her calm demeanor melted away in a second as she let out a scream. Aang apparently took that as a sign of happiness and excitement because he yelled, "Yip yip!" And Appa started to go even faster. 

After a few more minutes of flying (and Azula's terror) they were finally at the village. 

It was a big village as villages go, nearly everyone was there was Fire Nation but there were refugees from the war as well. They landed outside of the villages wall, Aang patted Appa on the head as they entered the village. 

Zuko and Azula led the two of them through the village, pointing out certain shops or something he thought Aang would like. Finally, they reached Uncle Iroh's house. The old man was waiting for them inside. 

He smiled when he saw them. "Zuko, Azula! Did you get the ingredients for the tea? Oh-! Who's this young man? Is he your boyfriend Azula?" The old general asked her. Zuko laughed as Azula gagged. 

Aang smiled at Uncle Iroh. "No, I'm not dating Azula, she's way out of my league anyway. My name's Aang!" He bowed. 

Uncle Iroh was smiling still. "Such manners!" He exclaimed. He looked back at his niece and nephew. "Why didn't you bring him around sooner?" 

Azula rolled her eyes. "We only just met him, Uncle." 

The old man raised an eyebrow. "You did, did you? Interesting. Are you sure he's not a Water Tribe spy? Because this seems perfect, a young man befriending the children of the Fire Lord and them leading him right to their house." 

Aang looked confused. "Water Tribe spy? Why would the Water Tribe have spies anywhere near the Fire Nation? Or spies at all?" He asked them. 

Zuko and Azula exchanged looks. 

Finally Zuko walked up Aang and put a hand on his shoulder. "Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?" 

The kid looked kind of scared. "I d-don't think it was that long," He said. "I just wanted to see some Koala Sheep, that's why I left the Northern Air Temple." 

_Air Temple!_

_Of course! That explains why he has the tattoos and the orange robes! He's an_ Airbender!" 

Uncle Iroh stepped towards Aang. "My boy, I am so sorry. You must be the last Airbender." 

The Airbdender stepped backwards. "I can't be! I j-just left them after they told me--" he cut himself off. 

Azula folded her arms. "Told you what?" She asked. 

Aang shook his head.

"Uh, thanks for your hospitality, but I think I need to go back home." He said. 

Suddenly, one of the Fire Nation soldiers ran through the doors. "General, a group of Water Tribe warriors are approaching from the river. We've counted twenty-four men, and an additional two who seem to be in charge. Some of us have been trailing them for a few days but the message only just arrived." She bowed to Uncle Iroh, who bowed back. "Thank you, Soldier. Prepare the troops but do not attack, I want to see why they've come." She nodded and ran back outside. 

Zuko and Azula looked to each other and immediately began to prepare. Zuko grabbed his two swords and Azula grabbed her armor. 

Uncle Iroh held up his hands. "Stop. You two are not going anywhere near them. Aang stay with them, I need to write a message to my brother. After that, I shall see what the Water Tribe wants from us now." He said.

Azula sighed as their uncle left the room. "Shame, I wanted to give them a gift of gratitude for killing our mother." Aang stared at her in shock. "They killed your mother?" Zuko nodded, "When they finally succeeded in their siege of Capital City, they entered the palace. Our mother was with us, she wasn't a Firebender but she fought bravely. They killed her in front of us. Uncle Iroh rescued us at the last minute, our father was in the middle of the fighting as it all happened." He said. 

Aang shook his head. "I am so sorry," He said. "I need for you two to tell me why this all happened. Why the Water Tribe did all of this." 

The Siblings nodded. 

Zuko grabbed Aang a pillow. "Sit, this might take awhile." He said. 

The two teenagers both grabbed pillows and sat down on them in front of Aang. Azula began to speak, "A hundred years ago, the Water Tribe attacked. They struck the Air Nomads first leaving no one alive. Or so we thought." She said gesturing at the Airbender present. 

She continued to speak. "After that, they focused their attention Fire Nation. It took them decades and decades but they finally managed to take Capital City. All that's left of the Fire Nation is scattered across the country in villages or in the army that our father leads." 

Zuko started to speak. "Now, the Water Tribe attempts to break into the mighty city of Ba Sing Se. Once that falls, there will be no where left to hide from the them. We've been waiting for the Avatar to make a reappearance. No one has seen him since he disappeared from the world, gone where only spirits know." He said. 

"Azula thinks that the Water Tribe has the Avatar, since it's next in the cycle. Like, they could frozen him or her in ice and waited until they needed them." Zuko shrugged, "Just one Azula's crazy conspiracy theories." 

That earned the would-be Fire Prince a burn on the hand. "Ow!" 

Azula laughed. "That's what you get when you mess with the princess!" She said. 

Uncle Iroh walked back into the room, he had his armor on. "Zuko, Azula and Aang. You can come watch if you promise to stay in the back and not cause trouble." He said. The siblings grinned at each other, Aang clutched his staff to his chest. 

Zuko turned around and looked at him. "Hey, Aang? I think we need to find you something to cover your robes and tattoos." The Airbender nodded. 

The teenagers grabbed a blood red cloak from the hanger next to the door. Azula handed it to the kid, "It goes atrociously with your robes, but it should do the job of hiding you." She said. 

Uncle Iroh was waiting by the door. "Remember, stay in the back. Do not fight them no matter what they say or do." He said as they stepped out the door. 

They made their way to the wall. 

Most of the villagers had gathered around the entrance. The soldiers were in front of them, ready to fight if the time comes. 

Zuko spotted Water Tribe banners waving in the wind as they approached. Two teenagers led them, a guy and a girl. They appeared to be around Zuko and Azula's age. 

The guy was wearing a wolf helmet with thick furs wrapping around his chest. A dark cloth covered his mouth and his nose, he held a boomerang in one hand and a sword in the other. 

The girl was dressed similarly. She wasn't wearing a helmet and her braided hair fell against her back. She had two strands of hair looping close to her face. She had thick furs wrapped around her neck and chest and wore a blue dress. Part of her face was also covered with the dark cloth. She carried no weapons. 

Following them were twenty-four soldiers. 

They entered the village. The Fire Nation soldiers readied their weapons and were prepared to fight if given the orders. 

Uncle Iroh walked out from the crowd. 

He smiled. "Which one of you is the leader?" He asked. 

The girl took the cloth off her mouth. "I am. My name is Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and we've come seeking the Avatar." 

Uncld Iroh raised an eyebrow. "The Avatar? The Water Tribe is next in the cycle, shouldn't you be looking there instead?" He asked them. 

The guy standing next to Katara threw his boomerang at the old man. 

The general dodged it easily.

He smiled at them again. "I hope you did not come to fight. We have no Avatar." The guy took the cloth off of his mouth. "Cut the chatter, old man! We know he's here, we saw the beam of light!" He shouted. 

Katara put a hand on his arm. "Sokka, remember what I said." He gulped and nodded. The girl turned back to the Fire Nation villagers. "We do know you have him. That's why I'm going to say this once, hand him over and no blood will be shed." She said. 

Zuko stepped forward, ignoring what his uncle said earlier. "The Avatar disappeared a hundred years ago! You won't find him anywhere on this earth, much less this village!" He said. 

The would-be Fire Prince felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. "Zuko, stop." He said. He walked to the front of the crowd. "I am the Avatar. If you leave this village in peace, I will go with you without resistance." He said. 

Zuko's eyes widened. 

Katara smiled. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" She asked. Sokka, brought out a pair of handcuffs and put them on Aang. 

The Water Tribe started to leave, but Zuko ran forward and let out a burst of flame from his hand. The princess turned around and deflected it with Waterbending. She smiled at him, he was completely drenched. "Not so tough now, are you?" 

Azula calmly walked forward. 

"You said you are from the Southern Water Tribe? And you're a princess? Did you know my brother and I are royalty, and that the man who killed our mother was of the Southern Water Tribe?" She asked. Azula attacked Katara with her blue flames. Katara had trouble dodging this time, Azula was more skilled than her brother. 

The Fire Princess propelled herself forward and lashed the Waterbender with flames. Katara let out a cry and dropped to the ground. Sokka rushed forward to make sure she was alright. He bared his teeth at Azula who grinned. 

Aang was held by a soldier and watched this helplessly. 

Katara rose from the ground. Shooing the young man away and wiped away the blood dripping from her nose. 

She turned to Sokka. "We're leaving," She gave the Fire Princess and Prince a look. Azula was holding her brother up and he leaned on her. 

Karara sneered at them. "Bye, Scar-Face. Hope you and your village burn to the ground." 

She and the Water Tribe started to leave. 

Aang turned to look at the Firebending siblings one more time. 

Zuko gave him a small smile before they left.

 

**Author's Note:**

> It's been awhile since I've seen the first episode of atla and I hope you forgive me if I've gotten anything wrong. 
> 
> If you have any questions about this AU, I'd be happy to answer them. And since this is a One-Shot (probably) I'd be totally cool if anyone wanted to continue this story!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated and thanks for reading!


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